So, you've proposed/agreed/been proposed to for your wedding/civil partnership/humanist ceremony (see part one's debate). Now it's all systems go. There are big questions to consider: venue, date, church or not, and a thousand more.

Sit down and write down a list of your absolute Must Haves for your venue. Ours were:a.Guests b.Food c.Booze d.MusicEverything else is superfluous. If you require superfluous, make it the fun part. The uniquely you part. NOT the expensive silliness that let me tell you NO-ONE will remember in five month's time, let alone five or 25 years' time.If you're having a humanist ceremony like we did, everyone will remember that bit – it's personal and lovely and people will take that away with them, not whether your flowers on the table matched the ushers' buttonholes!

lobster1 also suggested a cake of cheese (not a cheesecake) rather than a real cake. I like that.

On the booze point, make sure there are always bottles on the tables, rather than being poured by waiters: few things are worse than a table running out of drinks during the speeches.

The venue depends upon what is available, how much money you want to spend, who's paying, how many guests you want and many, many more factors.

And a word about choosing a date: remember this will be in your diary for the rest of your life: so if you choose June, beware that every four years it is going to clash with the World Cup.

What are the elements you really care about? If it's a church wedding, choose hymns you like - I enjoy a good singalong so we chose Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer (Bread of Heaven) and Jerusalem. If you like a good dance, don't just book any old DJ - ask friends to do it and/or pick the tunes. This should be a fantasy nightclub, so spend the months until the wedding jotting down the names of songs that you'd like played in a special book. You want to enjoy every moment, not find yourself dancing to the Birdie Song and Hi Ho Silver Lining. The low-cost alternative would be a great iPod playlist.

Your wedding pictures will be on your mantelpiece for ever more, so think carefully: get a cool tie, waistcoat and a new shirt. Personally I think there's never a better excuse for a morning suit, but it's not for all and would probably look out of place in a humanist ceremony in the back garden. My mum makes waistcoats, so she made mine and those for the best men/ushers themed on the football clubs we support. It gave a lovely dash of colour to the occasion and was much smarter than it sounds.

If you buy new shoes, wear them around the house for an hour each day for the week leading up to the wedding to wear them in without scuffing them - you don't want blisters on your wedding day.

While you are being fitted for your outfit, make a day of it: arrange to meet your best man early on a Saturday, get fitted out and then spend the rest of the day in the pub. Enjoy it. There'll probably be less of that after you're married. There'll certainly be less after you have children.

That's more than enough from me. What are your ideas/suggestions/anecdotes?